Thursday, April 9, 2009

Rwanda, After genocide :AD 1994-2008

In the chaos of mid-1994 the RPF, capable of putting into the field an extremely well disciplined guerrilla force, makes rapid progress against the Rwandan army . By July RPF troops are in Kigali, and a provisional Government is formed . By the end of August almost the entire country is uner control.

Though largely led by Tutsis, the RPF has been from the start committed a racial equality. This is achieved in the first cabinet , whose members reflect the numerical balance in the country . Sixteen of its members are Hutus , six are Tutsis. But if the RPF government rid itself of racism, this ideal proves very much harder to achieve in the nation ( though an important first step is abolishing the ethnic identity cards, in use since colonial times).

The immediate problem is the refugee camps just over the border in Zaire. There are some 1.1 million Rwandans in these camps , most of them are Hutus. But these are not normal camps. They are extensions of HUTU POWER in exile. mong the orinary refugees are members of the Interahmwe- the killers responsible for the genocide- who have fle over the borders to avoid the advancing RPF.

Thus every where the Hutu-tutsi problems goes on increasing , even within the camps. An attempt is madeto minimise the trouble but a fair judgement is within the reach.

Peace with the DRC and a new constitution:

Rwanda continued fighting against Dem. Rep. of the Congo throughout its four year civil war. Finally in July 2002, the two countries signed a peace accord.rwanda promised to withdraw its 35,000 troops from the conglese border , Congo in turn agreed to disarm the thousands of Hutu militiamen in its territory ,who threaten Rwandan security. In May 93 % of rwandans voted to approve new constitution that instituted a balance of political power between Hutu and Tutsi.In june 2004, Pasteur Bizimungu, the Hutu president , was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of inciting ethnic hatred.

In 2004, a French judge asserted that Kagame was responsible for the 1994 plane crash inciting genocide and killing of 8,00,000 people. But he denied. in @008, Rose Kabuye, a senior aide to Kagame was arrested at Frankfurt international airport on a warrant from france and charged in connection with the crash. A UN court in Dec. 2008 convicted Col Theoneste Bagosora, Aa Hutu extremist , of genocide for his involvement in 1994 massacre of 8,00,000 people. He was the highest ranking military official charged in connection with the Genocide.